Important thing to be aware of before using Airbnb professional photo service

[Kyi1]

Recently, me and my partner decided to use professional photo service from Airbnb since we thought quality photos may attract more guests. On the appointment day, a young local photographer showed up and took photos. Few days later, he uploaded processed photos to the listings by himself. That wasn't issue at all, as he had already mentioned that during photo shootout and we trusted him to produce quality photos.  However, we were disappointed with all photos. Although framing is alright, colours are all over-processed and don't even look realistic anymore (like those HDR photos you see on web). When we asked for original photos (so that we could adjust to our liking), he refused and said AIrbnb doesn't allow him to do that. I find that rule ridiculous and totally unfair. We have already paid for the photos and we should get to keep the orginals. With this rule, we can't even make small framing/color adjustments. We are at the mercy of a photographer who will process as per his taste which may not agree to ours. It was a waste of over $100.

[Inna22]

@Kyi1  I had the same exact experience. The photographer was unpleasant from the time we were coordinating date and time and at arrival, but that’s beside the point. The pictures were extremely overexposed. Some of the spaces were unrecognizable. Some spaces were not photographed at all. I battled Airbnb for at least two months. Tried social media, calling. They absolutely refused to refund or to send him to reshoot the pictures. So I zoomed in on trying to at least get the original photographs. At least to be  posted to my listing, not sent to me directly. I got completely stonewalled. I have proof of what the spaces look like because another Airbnb professional photographer took pictures last year. I made a lot of changes so I wanted new ones. But some spaces remained the same so I could definitely prove that that was dramatic difference in what the rooms look like and the new pictures. I do not understand why they’re being protective of the originals.  Also, I would imagine it would be in their best interest that the pictures are accurate. If I can clearly demonstrated the photographer did a better job, why not send the same person to fix them.  They say they do not want to give us the originals directly so we cannot use it on other sites. In this case, I was asking them to upload the pictures to my listing. Furthermore, there is an official pathway of downloading them to my computer posted on Airbnb website. So with a couple of more clicks I can have the pictures anyway. Yet another example of them coming up with  a dumb rule and not having any adults in their office to make a decision about changing it. 

[Elizabeta4]

And I had the same situation with the official photographer, the overall score of 20 bad photos.

Photos do not represent the actual space, completely different colors of space than real ones.  Unpleasant shooting angles, 5  photos of the same shooting frame.

I did not recognize my own apartment on photographs.

I deleted most photos from the profile. 

And now I'm again looking for a new professional photographer.

[Ale113]

It is much better to pay a freelance photographer, just ask to the photo shops how much would they ask you for coming and doing about 15 good pics.

[Suzanne302]

@Kyi1  One thing I also noticed about your photos is that some areas are "sloppy." I would think a professional photographer would also be aware of staging aspects. For example, there is a tag sticking out on the towels on the bed. The towel on the rack in the bathroom is askew, and at least one of the beds looks lumpy because the comforter is not smoothed out.

Not a critique of your space at all, it's lovely! I just think a photographer should notice those details for pictures and say something to correct them before taking the photo.

[Kyi1]

I don't think he gave much attention to detail. Seems to me, it's all about getting his job done. 

[Susan1028]

I hear you @Suzanne302 and...

As a photographer myself, I’ve shot many homes for real estate and filming projects and I notice everything.

The photographer is paid to take photos of the space and shows up in time with what’s needed to do that.  If it’s not “photo ready” when I arrive, I mention it, but that’s the responsibility of the homeowner/real estate agent to have ready at the appointed time.  I’ve had both state they want it that way, even though I’m the one looking through the lens, seeing through the eyes of the viewer later on....only to have them agree and want me to return to re-shoot after they clean up or rearrange things...for free.

I have plenty to deal with addressing lighting, framing, and making the best of what is, being expected to make often small cluttered rooms look spacious,clean, and inviting and dealing with setting up the shot to capture the space as complementarily as possible for the web, print, or whatever way(s) it might be used in the end product, in addition to our own specs for a good photograph such as composition, balance, etc.

The rates mentioned here hover around $100. Thats well below market rates for a pro real estate shoot.

As hosts we often invest thousands in preparing our “product” for the marketplace.  Photographers do as well.  A pro photo kit can run $5-30K just for the camera body and basic lenses, plus any filters, lighting, supports,  phone, vehicle/travel time, technology, software, web presence, marketing, equipment maintenance (a camera body cleaning is $200) insurance, business licenses, tax requirements...the lenses required for real estate work now, cost thousands.

In addition, if a shoot takes an hour, the post production/editing can take 3 or more times longer, depending on the readiness of the location, lighting conditions, and whether the photographer is willing to edit out ugly light switches on the wall, tags on towels, telephone lines, the family dog, etc. I’ve “fixed” a lot of staging disasters post shoot when I’m being paid market rates, but it’s not cost effective when I’m earning not much more than minimum wage after my costs of showing up and shoot time.

Like design, Photography is also governed by the tastes of the times which come and go.  The current trend is “HD” which means super bright, super high resolution that must look Uber spacious, crisp, and clean ...which is unrealistic for all scenarios, and when I’m looking at accommodations or home space I personally want something more comforting.  A castle, cozy beach cottage, or rustic cabin doesn’t show well in HD.

Aibnb has opted for the trend, so everything on thier website can look as “plus” as they want it to, and they inform the photographers of their specs and procedures and expect compliance.

As for the originals...photographers sometimes offer that but they’ve always been edited to look thier best because that’s what pros do.

If you’d like realistic photos, do hire someone who has the latitude to shoot and show your place as you wish, because anyone referred by Airbnb is informed of the look they want and expected to perform to those standards.

I shot my listing to look realistic because I want people to know what they’re getting so they don’t feel mislead into believing they’re booking The Ritz.  It’s actually more beautiful than it looks, and my approach has worked well because everyone is wowed by this setting upon arrival and I attract the people who will appreciate a cozy quiet cottage.

Ive also seen listings that truly need better photos to be more marketable.

$100 is about enough to pay for someone to show up for an hour to shoot as is and do a “robot edit” of the batch of photos, meaning; a group preset editing protocol to make it meet the “HD” specs required, and upload it to the Airbnb profile.

There are various levels of skill in every profession, and, you can click on “careers” and find airbnb’s “Application” for photographers if you want a taste of what’s expected.

[Ana1136]

@Kyi1 they are fine to be honest but nothing special, you could have taken those yourself and not waste the money. I wouldn't trust some random photographer Airbnb sends me but much rather I would do a research of freelance photographers in my area and select the one which style of taking photos I prefered even if it means paying a few extra dollars. 

[Kyi1]

I don't think overprocessed, overexposed photo should ever be produced by somebody who goes with "professional" title. At least, not for the photos that will be used in lisitings. It's just too cartoonish. I'm sharing my experience, so other hosts can set their expectation right for this service.

[Ian-And-Anne-Marie0]

@Kyi1 

I don't think overprocessed, overexposed photo should ever.....

I agree. But guess what... those are the instructions given to the photographers and those instructions pretty much guarantee the same outcomes unless you have copious amounts of equally balanced daylight or pay a high end retoucher.

[Robin4]

@Kyi1  @Ana1136  @Suzanne302  @Ale113  @Inna22 

I have always strongly advocated that hosts should stay well away from professional photography.

The whole idea behind professional photography is to 'make a silk purse out of a sows ear'!

Now if this is just something you want to put in the family album to look at and dream over, fine.

But the problem is, this is the reality of what happens. This screenshot was sent in by an Airbnb guest.......

The guest thought he was getting what was shown in the first shot, which of course had a makeover for the photography. What he actually got was the second shot which was taken by himself! He requested a refund because the listing was not as described!

Here is another example of what professional photography does.....

Which room would you rather stay in, the before or the after? 

With the upsurge in professional photography the rise in accuracy complaints has taken a dramatic rise!

Fifteen years ago a professional photographer was required to 'bring out the best' in a listing. Now they don't, they make the listing look something that it isn't.

With the advent of smartphone technology the average Joe, like you and I can take pictures that will more than adequately do a listing justice.

In fact many guest through the advent of schemes like PLUS do not trust the photography any more.

Professional photography.....great for catalogues, a disaster for home hosts!

Cheers......Rob

[Ana1136]

å@@ @Robin4 this really is the work of a professional 🙂 I agree with you, photos should be as real as possible. I take the photos for my apartments myself but I do add brightness because I can't always wait for the perfect lighting and I have had guests say that the place looks better than the photos. I sometimes wonder if I might have more bookings if I invested in photography but I still prefer the guests to be over than underwhelmed when they arrive so I will stick with my photos a bit longer. 

[Robin4]

@Ana1136 

You are definitely right Anna, with any reasonable sort of phone these days you can take shots that guests want to see!

I take shots that may not be worlds best quality but, guests see them and say to themselves....'cool, I want a bit of that'! Shots like this.......

A cheese plate with plenty of nuts and crackers awaits your arrival!

Our Aussie Shepherd Betts waits for the next guest to arrive!

With luck you may get to meet our resident Koala!

These shots are all amongst my listing photos......sure, they are not perfect but guests love them and it's because of shots like this that in the space of 36 months I have risen to 8th in my state of South Australia by number of Airbnb reviews and each month ends up being fully booked!

Keep it natural, genuine and give the guest a reason to not want to look any further!

Cheers.....Rob 

[Kyi1]

First lisiting is a moot. It's not just differences in lighting. There are obvious discrepencies in furnitures - listing has a glass side table and chairs instead of a picnic table and a bench. I don't blame guest for feeling betrayed. But the second listing doesn't seem to have much differences. It's just differences in choice of lens (wide angle vs regular) and a bit of lighting adjustment. You can tell that by the second photo captured the whole room when the first could only capture portion of it. The funiture and the rest looks exactly the same. I think use of professional photographer or some processing of the results are fine as long as you don't add/remove physical objects just to make your photos look better (putting new furniture just for the photos or photoshopping holes in the walls)

[Robin4]

@Kyi1 

Hi there, but this is what happens with professional photo shoots!

All that regular clutter that has adorned the space for years is suddenly removed and replaced with a bit of designer furniture from the furniture hire shop! A vase of flowers some nice throw rugs, a book or two is added and the space looks inviting!

As soon as the photoshoot is over, this nice furniture....the glass top side table, the nice chairs the uncluttered sink and the pristine shiny bright laundry disappears.....The guest walks in and says ....'What th', this is not what I signed up for!

I had a guest once tell me the bed was not the same one shown in my listing description!

In fact it was the same bed, it just had another quilt cover on it. I now include in my listing photos a composite photo of all the different bedding options I offer with that same bed.

The photos must be genuine and I can state that there is a growing number of guests who will not book listings  where professional photography has been used because they feel the reality will not live up to the advertisment! They feel the host is trying to portray their listing in an unrealistic light. I know because as part of support we saw so many complaints!

Cheers......Rob